Complexes Based on Zinc and Cadmium for Visible Light-Driven\nHydrogen Production

Photocatalytic water decomposition\nusing solar energy is one of\nthe most effective hydrogen production technologies. The development\nof a structurally stable photocatalyst for hydrogen production without\ncocatalysts and photosensitizers remains a great challenge. In this\npaper, complex photocatalyst compounds <b>1</b> and <b>2</b> with different crystal structures were designed and obtained by\nconnecting the 4′-(2,4-disulfophenyl)-4,2′:6′,4″-terpyridine\norganic ligands with Zn(Ac)<sub>2</sub>·2H<sub>2</sub>O and CdCO<sub>3</sub>. These products were used for photocatalytic hydrogen production\nseparately, and the hydrogen production rates of compounds <b>1</b> and <b>2</b> were 0.66 mol·mol<sup>–1</sup>·h<sup>–1</sup> and 0.12 mol·mol<sup>–1</sup>·h<sup>–1</sup>, respectively, without the addition of any cocatalysts\nand photosensitizers, and their charge separation and transfer processes\nwere verified by PL, time-resolved PL, and photocurrent. Compound <b>1</b> was tested in 6 cycles over 18 h and showed high stability\nand reproducibility.